Educational Leadership Pathways in Florida

How this degree relates to the Florida principal credential

The Florida license is Educational Leadership (Administrative Class) — Level I; Level II Principal program. Read the principal checklist for steps, exams, and the board source — this page is the IPEDS inventory for Educational Leadership, not a second copy of that checklist.

Florida splits school leadership into numbered levels that out-of-state applicants routinely collapse into one word: “principal.” Educational Leadership in the Administrative Class is Level I. It is the coverage that Rule 6A-4.0082 describes: a master’s or higher from an acceptable institution, completion of the Florida Educational Leadership Core Curriculum through an approved Level I program, and passage of every Florida Educational Leadership Examination subtest. The Level II Principal program is a later, distinct step. Completing Level I does not by itself mean the Bureau of Educator Certification has issued a principal credential, and job postings that say “Educational Leadership certified” are not interchangeable with “completed Level II.”

Level I programs are not limited to universities. Rule 6A-4.0082 points to approved programs offered by institutions of higher education and to district or charter programs authorized under Rule 6A-5.081. Teachers already employed in a large Florida district sometimes finish the Core Curriculum through a district Level I program rather than a campus-based master’s cohort. The degree requirement still stands; the delivery site of the Core Curriculum is what 6A-5.081 opens up. Candidates who hold a master’s in an unrelated field still need an approved Level I program that covers the Core Curriculum—Florida does not treat any graduate degree as a substitute for that curriculum.

Full Florida principal credential checklist →

Institutions with Educational Leadership programs in Florida

Rows come from IPEDS awards by CIP and award level. This extract reported no completion counts, so none are shown. An institution that conferred awards is not automatically approved to recommend candidates for Educational Leadership (Administrative Class) — Level I; Level II Principal program.

Related pathways

• Principal certification in Florida
• Principal credential
• How to become a principal
• Master of Education
• Education Specialist (EdS)
• Doctor of Education (EdD)
• Higher education administration